Liu Xin

A Chinese scholar from the end of the Western Han to the Xin dynasty. Son of Liu Xiang. His courtesy name was Zijun. Later he changed his name to Xiu and his courtesy name to Yingshu. Known as a man of learning from an early age, he participated in organizing the books of the Han royal family with his father during the reign of Emperor Cheng. After his father's death, he took over this project and completed the creation of the Qilues. The Qilues itself was lost, but was incorporated into the Art and Literature Journal of the Book of Han and has been passed down to the present day. This was the first catalog of classic texts in China. Xin learned ancient literature through this work, and launched a movement to honor ancient literature, trying to make the Zuo Zhuan, Mao Shi, Yili, and Guwen Shangshu officially recognized as academic subjects, and fought fiercely with Confucian scholars of the modern literature school. Wang Mang, a powerful man at the time, had previously worked with Xin as a Yellow Gatemaster, and after establishing the new dynasty, he placed a high value on Xin and gave him the position of National Teacher. The system of the new dynasty was based on the "Records of Zhou," and so it relied heavily on Xin as a scholar of ancient literature for legislation and other matters. However, he resented the fact that his three sons had been killed by Wang Mang, and after failing in a rebellion, he committed suicide. There is a biography of him in the "Book of Han."

[Saburo Machida January 19, 2016]

"Kano Naoki, Academic Studies of the Two Chinese Classics (1964, Chikuma Shobo)" ▽ "Itano Chohachi, "Liu Xiang and Liu Xin from the Perspective of the Disaster Theory" (Collected in the 25th Anniversary Collection of Essays in Commemoration of the Oriental Studies Association, 1972, Oriental Studies Association)" ▽ "Qian Mu, "Chronology of the Father and Son, Liu Xiang and Xin" (Collected in the Yenching Academic Journal 7, 1929, Yenching University)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、前漢末から新にかけての学者。劉向(りゅうきょう)の子。字(あざな)は子駿(ししゅん)。のち名を秀、字を穎叔(えいしゅく)と改める。幼少のころから好学の人として知られ、成帝のとき父とともに漢王室の図書整理に参加する。父の没後はこの事業を継いで『七略』を作成し完了した。『七略』そのものは亡(ほろ)んだが、『漢書(かんじょ)』芸文志(げいもんし)にそのまま取り込まれて今日に伝えられている。これは中国における経籍目録の最初のものである。歆はこの作業のなかから古文学を修得し、『左伝』『毛詩』『逸礼』『古文尚書』などを公許の学問にしようとして古文顕彰運動をおこし、今文(きんぶん)派の儒者と激しく争った。当時の実力者王莽(おうもう)は以前、ともに黄門郎として勤務したこともあり、新王朝を興してのちは、歆を重用し国師の地位を与えた。新王朝の制度は『周礼(しゅらい)』に拠(よ)っていたので、古文学者としての歆に立法その他依拠するところが大きかったからである。しかし王莽に三子を殺されたのを恨み、謀反を企てて失敗し、自殺した。『漢書』に伝記がある。

［町田三郎　2016年1月19日］

『狩野直喜著『両漢学術考』（1964・筑摩書房）』▽『板野長八「災異説より見た劉向と劉歆」（『東方学会25周年記念論集』所収・1972・東方学会）』▽『銭穆「劉向・歆父子年譜」（『燕京学報7』所収・1929・燕京大学）』

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